Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your teacher to encourage students to attend and engage?
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation:
Today started the same as most days: attendance at 7:30, announcements, pledge of allegiance. But since it was friday, the homerooms of the entire 6th grade went for a walk ofn the bike path. This happens every friday. Before beginning, Lynne stood on a rock and started asking the students what happened overnight with the weather patterns, linking the material in the classroom to actual events. Some students were involved while others were not listening at all. Most were happy to be outside. The students in the back were talking most of the time, and were reprimanded by the vcarious other 6th grade teachers present. The walk was nice, and the students had to be reminded constantly to stay on the right side of the path.
Back in the classroom, students began writing down the homework for the next class. There isnt much reminding of this since the students already know the routine once they get into class. The day's science and literacy goals are written on the board. Their goal today is to understand fronts of weather, and to think about a nature picture. Their first task is to work in their journals. The students pass their journals to a neighbor, where they correct them by listening to Lynns instructions. By holding up fingers according to Lynn's requirements, the students the4n record the problems and record a grade. The entirte class was on task with this. They all had constant instruction and followed through wityht he assignment. Qyuestions were answered at the end when Lynn was done discussing the criteria, and nobody talked throughout the entire process. After this task, students took out their worksheetsa on fronts that were due for homework and went over them as a class to ensure the understanding of complete sentences and key vocabulary. Punctuation errors were corrected and the students were told to underline and anotate where important sentences were corresponding to questions on their worksheet for easy reference. Again, as I walked around, there were a few students who were not as fast as others, but who still attempted to do their best. The back tables apparently were composed of mostly good students to minimize distance distractions from the teacher. Lynne walked around the classroom monitoring the students progress as she went through the worksheet.
Reflection: It appears that Lynne has her classroom groomed for obedience. And when I watch her, she never yells or punishes her students. She has the respect of her students and runs her classroom like a well oiled machine. Some students came to class unprepared and when they ask her to go to their locker she just says "no", and they go back to their seats embarrased. Its as if she is conditioning them to feel bad for not being prepared, by not caring if they are irresponsible. By not giving them attention on something they did wrong, they are less inclined to do it again. I also noticed that the organization in instruction (most likely through the repetition through the years of teaching successfully planned lessons) also does not allow the students to go off task. She is constantly moving towards a goal that everyone in the classroom is familiar with and understanding of. Everybody knows whats coming and doesn't have time to slack off. She reminds what the task is when she sees someone slacking and says it generally most of the time instead of directly. Also, the prescence of her and her voice around the room allows students to hear her and prevents themselves from going off task. Sometimes her mere voice stops them from talking if she comes near their area. She patrolls the room while instructing, and keeps everyone on task without having to really do anything but be aware. Now that I have seen her in action, my perception of middle sachools has completely changed. I used to be scared to teach these wild kids when I substitute taught 7th grade, but Ive come to realize that it is all about the teacher and how the classroom is run. For Lynne, its all about organization, and preparedness, and not allowing the students time to sneak into the cracks of unwisely used time.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation:
Today started the same as most days: attendance at 7:30, announcements, pledge of allegiance. But since it was friday, the homerooms of the entire 6th grade went for a walk ofn the bike path. This happens every friday. Before beginning, Lynne stood on a rock and started asking the students what happened overnight with the weather patterns, linking the material in the classroom to actual events. Some students were involved while others were not listening at all. Most were happy to be outside. The students in the back were talking most of the time, and were reprimanded by the vcarious other 6th grade teachers present. The walk was nice, and the students had to be reminded constantly to stay on the right side of the path.
Back in the classroom, students began writing down the homework for the next class. There isnt much reminding of this since the students already know the routine once they get into class. The day's science and literacy goals are written on the board. Their goal today is to understand fronts of weather, and to think about a nature picture. Their first task is to work in their journals. The students pass their journals to a neighbor, where they correct them by listening to Lynns instructions. By holding up fingers according to Lynn's requirements, the students the4n record the problems and record a grade. The entirte class was on task with this. They all had constant instruction and followed through wityht he assignment. Qyuestions were answered at the end when Lynn was done discussing the criteria, and nobody talked throughout the entire process. After this task, students took out their worksheetsa on fronts that were due for homework and went over them as a class to ensure the understanding of complete sentences and key vocabulary. Punctuation errors were corrected and the students were told to underline and anotate where important sentences were corresponding to questions on their worksheet for easy reference. Again, as I walked around, there were a few students who were not as fast as others, but who still attempted to do their best. The back tables apparently were composed of mostly good students to minimize distance distractions from the teacher. Lynne walked around the classroom monitoring the students progress as she went through the worksheet.
Reflection: It appears that Lynne has her classroom groomed for obedience. And when I watch her, she never yells or punishes her students. She has the respect of her students and runs her classroom like a well oiled machine. Some students came to class unprepared and when they ask her to go to their locker she just says "no", and they go back to their seats embarrased. Its as if she is conditioning them to feel bad for not being prepared, by not caring if they are irresponsible. By not giving them attention on something they did wrong, they are less inclined to do it again. I also noticed that the organization in instruction (most likely through the repetition through the years of teaching successfully planned lessons) also does not allow the students to go off task. She is constantly moving towards a goal that everyone in the classroom is familiar with and understanding of. Everybody knows whats coming and doesn't have time to slack off. She reminds what the task is when she sees someone slacking and says it generally most of the time instead of directly. Also, the prescence of her and her voice around the room allows students to hear her and prevents themselves from going off task. Sometimes her mere voice stops them from talking if she comes near their area. She patrolls the room while instructing, and keeps everyone on task without having to really do anything but be aware. Now that I have seen her in action, my perception of middle sachools has completely changed. I used to be scared to teach these wild kids when I substitute taught 7th grade, but Ive come to realize that it is all about the teacher and how the classroom is run. For Lynne, its all about organization, and preparedness, and not allowing the students time to sneak into the cracks of unwisely used time.